The mission of the Methods & Statistics Core is the enhancement and development of productive programs of research in the area of self-management through strong methodological and statistical support. The Methods & Statistics core, lead by Dr. Elizabeth Madigan, will provide support to the studies supported by the SMART Center and to the broader academic community at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Madigan will devote 10% effort to core leadership. The Methods & Statistics Core will emphasize four resource areas: biostatistics, qualitative research support, item response theory expertise, and economic analyses. The latter two aspects support current NIH initiatives on patient-reported outcomes and cost effectiveness studies, respectively, and will accelerate faculty expertise in using both approaches. Particular attention will be paid to encouraging interdisciplinary work to further, the empirical and methodological understanding of self-management across multiple levels (individuals, families, health systems, communities).